Track Progress
A baseline inventory of sustainability indicators was
prepared as part of this plan and is included in Appendix
B. The inventory is organized by focus area and identifies
the metrics (indicators) that will be tracked in order to
measure progress toward plan goals. Each indicator is
defined by what it measures. The inventory includes
the data sources used in the baseline inventory, plus an
explanation on how the indicator value was calculated.

It is important to understand that only readily available
data sets (typically state and federal data) were used for the
baseline inventory in order to provide consistency across the
regions of the state. These data sets are typically collected
on a routine basis; some annually, and some as infrequently
as every 5 to 10 years (such as the United States Census).
Individual projects should independently calculate their
contribution to project goals in order to show progress that
may not be immediately captured by these data sets. The
calculations provided in the baseline inventory can be used
as a guideline to determine individual project contributions.

It is recommended that the region prepare an annual
sustainability scorecard to measure progress against the
baseline inventory. In order to do this, a list of ongoing
projects, by year of inception, should be maintained
along with the data that shows their contribution to
plan goals. Descriptive information about ongoing
projects can support the annual inventory by discussing project phases and upcoming plans or programs.

At the time of the preparation of this plan, no individual
entity has been assigned responsibility for tracking the indicators and updating the baseline inventory. It is recommended
that the State provide funding to conduct this tracking and
the responsibility for tracking be assigned to the regional
Sustainability Working Group within the NCREDC.